Thursday, May 31, 2012

I’ve recruited dozens of consultants. Fresh
MBAs from the best campuses. Some with limited experience from the world
outside. Many very senior consultants from competitors. Through a process of
trial and error, I manage to identify individuals with just the right set of
ingredients. In a previous blog article (Vault.com), I spoke of the six skills a consultant
needs to possess to be successful.

And yet, I see that many consultants “burn
out” in less than ten years. They may be really intelligent and may possess all
the skills I’ve spoken about. Like meteors, they set the sky on fire and then –
they fizzle out. Why? Here are some reasons:

They’ve never fully understood that to be on your toes constantly is
very draining. The exhilaration of creating and
communicating compelling visions cannot be sustained if you don’t have other
things to re-energize you. In other words, a specific attempt to attain balance
is important. How? Sports, hobbies, reading – all help.

They don’t understand that sacrifices are necessary. This is not a profession for the placid and timid. You need to
travel and be on the road. That means a personal ecosystem that tolerates such
constant disruption and knows it is a price one needs to pay to be successful.
If you aren’t able to manage that, then burn-out is a given because of the
stress of juggling

They don’t keep up with changes in their professional area.Resumes need to be updated
constantly with new skills and certifications. In the business world, trends
and fads come and go and you’ve got to keep tabs and ensure you stay relevant
at all times. Being a legend in the past in a particular area guarantees
nothing today.

They can’t handle the travel. The
relentless grind of the airport experience is really hard for some to handle.
Keeping track of flights, airport check-ins, rental cars, new hotels and so on
– while being focused on the client’s issues – one requires significant stamina
to keep up over an extended period.

They can’t handle change. Consecutive
Engagements that are entirely different in nature, cope and geography, client
personnel with different agendas, styles and priorities, different levels of
intensity, different team dynamics – the fun can erode and some long for
predictability.

They can’t handle professional pressure. The Consulting Profession is very challenging and works on very short
cycles of gratification. Performance measurements include delivery excellence
and business development acumen. With that come rising expectations of rapid
career progression and fairly stern measurements of success.

And so it’s no surprise that very few
manage to survive the rough and tumble of the Consulting world beyond a few
years. I’ve often heard it said that a single year of consulting experience is
often equivalent to seven years of any other kind of experience.That’s the huge payoff for sure. But being
aware of the stresses and strains of the profession – as described above – can
make all the difference in building a long-term career in this business and
becoming a Partner, the apex of the profession.

Perhaps you knew I was watchingYou moved your kimono just a littleSaying No.

I wrote a haiku on the silent pebblesOf Kinkakuji Temple

I walked away to KyotoYour image in the shrineIn the temple within me

The White Lily-------------------

Soon time will passYou know? Like sand
through an hour glass

In the morning, when no one seesThe white lily blooms very slowlyAnd the Swans hide in shame; their beautyIs nothingI play the koto and the Lily listensThe white becomes pink, the blush of knowingHow beautiful she is

But soon the sun climbs downThe air is tired and the kotoIt faltersAn eagle watches coldly as it soarsSoon it knows, this pulchritude will fadeAnd it shall feast On the dreams of a soul in agonyWhite is white, you thoughtThe koto reduces to dustThe Lily droops The petals break away

MITO-SAN

Love – very
important InformationIt is music from my
kotoKimono soft rustling
noiseI make Ikebana
flower arrangements for Mito-sanShe give me silent words and eyes looking downWe give the information to each otherOf the love

No, this is not KabukiIt is the real informationOf LoveIn OsakaMany years ago.

DESTINY

I
do not care to be toldThat this is destiny.And you must go.

We walked in the streets of Hiroshima that dayAnd saw nothing,But you did not cry for the thousands.The smoke hung close to the groundCollecting memories of lovers.I took you to your houseBut it was gone.You did not cry then.But I did.For people I had never met.

But now when we must partYou cry and I watchWhile you use logic to explainThat this is best.That the throbbing pain of twoIs more than the tormentOf those who evaporatedIn Hiroshima.